Former Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long has revealed he came close to joining Celtic on two separate occasions during his career — although the move that would have thrilled his family and friends sadly never materialised.
The 38-year-old, who retired during the summer of 2023 after a long and distinguished career in English football, was reflecting on his near-miss with the Hoops when speaking to BoyleSports.
Long, who earned 88 caps for his country, confirmed Celtic were interested in signing him both during his early days at Reading and later on during his spell with Southampton — but on both occasions, the transfer fell through.
"The first time I was at Reading I ended up leaving to play for West Brom under Roy Hodgson, but Celtic were in for me too," Long said.
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"I was very close to going to Celtic. There was also a transfer window when I was at Southampton when I wasn’t really playing in which I felt I needed to leave to play football — Celtic were in for me then too."
Long explained how an untimely injury and a return to the starting line-up at St Mary’s derailed what he admits was a tempting switch to Glasgow.
"It was very close to happening, but there was an injury and I broke back into the team. The move didn’t happen in the end and a good friend of mine is now one of the owners and he always asks me why it didn’t happen," he added.
For Long, the appeal of wearing the Hoops — especially given his Irish roots — was clear.
"Obviously being Irish and having that opportunity was really appealing to me but sadly it never happened."
